Hardly a Dent in the Din

Your recent article on San Marino's proposed ban on those noisy leaf blowers mentioned that it was patterned after a Beverly Hills ordinance.

As one who lived in Beverly Hills many years ago--and for years contributed material to Rob Wagner's Script magazine, once published there--I am reminded of one of Rob's running gags in his regional magazine.

According to Wagner, there was an ongoing feud between San Marino and Beverly Hills regarding who had the snootiest garbage.

It appears to me there's a slight parallel in the two affluent cities' quixotic efforts to demand silence while other ordinary cities merely grumble at the noise and bear it.

Personally, I decry the combined din of power saws, power mowers, accelerating sports cars and motorcycles as much as the next resident. Opponents of the San Marino ban, however, have pointed out that silencing the blowers will hardly make a dent in the din.